RWBY Shorts
by RuinmasterPhantom
Summary: Short little stories with some continuity. Part of June Art Challenge 2016.
1. White Rose

**RWBY Shorts**

 _White Rose_

 _Today is Weiss' birthday. Everybody likes to get presents on their birthday, right? And I know we haven't known each other that long, but maybe if I get her a present… but what do I get her? I mean she's rich, right, and rich people have everything and what do you get someone who has everything and – GAH! I don't know what to do…_

Ruby wandered the streets of Vale looking for the perfect present for Weiss. Her eyes wandered from shop to shop, nothing catching her eye. She did already have a present planned, but couldn't exactly afford it with her current funds. Cookies weren't that expensive, but the cost added up quickly.

As Ruby thought and thought and thought, a sign on the street corner caught her eye.

RED LIKE ROSES FLOWER SHOP

 **LATER**

"Hello, dearie," said the woman behind the counter. She was rather heavyset, with a wrinkled face and a smile on her lips, reminding Ruby of an old and kind grandmother. If said grandmother moved boulders for a living. "Looking for something special?"

"Uh, yeah, do you have any roses?"

"Of course. Any color in particular?"

Color? This was important. According to what Jaune had said, each color of rose meant something different. Pink meant "joy", orange meant "fascination"… which was the one for "friendship", again?

"Umm… red, I think."

"I'm afraid you're out of luck, then," said the woman with a sigh. "We grow all of our flowers ourselves, and they take time to grow. My idiot sons managed to plant the white roses instead of the red ones, so the next batch won't be in bloom for another two weeks."

As she said this, she gestured toward the left wall, where all of the roses were divided into groups according to color. Only, the section marked "red" was full of white roses.

The young reaper was only half-listening, entranced by the white flowers. _Hmm. A white rose._

 **MUCH LATER**

"Objective complete!" In front of her was a single thorn less white rose tied to a card with red ribbon. Sure, it wasn't as nice as a new dust-powered sheath for Myrtlenaster, but it was the thought that counted, right?

"What are you doing?"

"Gah!" Ruby jumped as Weiss walked into the dorm room. Ruby just managed to hide her present behind her back. "Weiss, when did you get here?! I mean, uh, Weiss, how nice to see you! I thought you were training with Blake."

"We just finished. So, what is that?"

"What is what?"

"What are you hiding? Did you break something?"

"No, Weiss, I was just-"

"Because if you broke something of mine you will be held responsible, and the reparations will be mandatory for-"

Desperate to avoid another lecture, Ruby held out the flower and card in front of her.

"Happy Birthday!"

"…"

"…"

"…Ruby."

"Yes, Weiss?"

"My birthday was three months ago."

"Oh. Sorry."

Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Why would you think it was my birthday?"

"Well, I saw that card you got in the mail. The one from Atlas."

"Ruby, that card was lost in the mail and got here late. And if you had just asked me, I would have told you."

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, hanging her hooded head.

"It's fine. So long as you didn't make a big deal out of it. I'd just like to spend my day quietly."

Behind her, Ren tried to pull Nora back into the closet which was spilling wrapped presents and confetti. Jaune and Pyrrha just gave awkward grin. They were holding a banner with the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEISS" written on it with syrup. Ruby's scroll buzzed in her pocket, telling her that Yang was on her way back with the cake.

"Right, of course."

 **END**


	2. Bumblebee

**RWBY Shorts**

 ** _Bumblebee_**

Within the solitary room it lay, mired in the dust of years past. A relic of old, of nearly forgotten victories and journeys. And now, it would come into the hands of the next heir. The doors to the room groaned open, revealing a man with a rugged appearance.

"I don't know why you want to see it so bad, it's nothing special," spoke Taiyang Xiao-Long. Behind him followed a young girl with beautiful golden hair flowing out behind her. At his remark, she gave him a shocked gasp.

"Nothing special? It's a motorcycle; that makes it super awesome!" She had seen one on TV, and was quickly awed by the stunts and speed of the vehicle. She became very excited when her father off-handedly mentioned that he owned one.

"All right, just, don't get your hopes up." He reached for the brown faded tarp which covered a motorcycle-shaped object against the wall. Yang shuddered in anticipation. How could she not be excited? Unceremoniously, the wrap was pulled away.

A beast of metal and oil appeared before her eyes. Thick tires on gyroscopic axels, a sturdy frame that could take a punch, and a powerful X-24 Dust Engine. It was incredible.

Yang was entranced by the bike, but Tai couldn't help staring at the peeling paint, the mangled gears, and the busted engine. A hunk of junk waiting to be tossed away. He sighed.

"Like I said, it's not—"

"It's beautiful."

Tai glanced at his daughter in confusion.

"It's broken."

"We can fix it, though, right?" She looked up at him with a gleam in her eye, and a smile on her face. In truth, the cost of replacing the engine alone might be too much for their budget. But he couldn't say no to that face. Not again.

"I guess so. It'll take some work though, are you up for it?" Yang smiled brightly.

"Yep!" she shouted, popping the "p".

"Ok then, first things first. What do you want to call it?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean…—"

"Yeah, this bike will belong to you." It only seemed right, considering how she had driven him to desire fixing it as well. He felt a fire going that he hadn't felt in a long time. "So, what will you call it?"

Yang looked the bike over critically, noticing the aerodynamic angles of the chassis, as if built for flight, the delicate layer of dust which coated the body like pollen, and how the paint had peeled away in a shape nearly resembling a stripe. Black stripes on a yellow body.

"Bumblebee." **END**


	3. Upgrade

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Upgrade_

"No."

"Aw, c'mon Jaune."

Ruby and Jaune sat in an empty classroom late in the afternoon. They were supposed to be attending a team leader meeting, like they did every week. However, it seemed like everyone, including the supervising teacher, Prof—I mean, Doctor Oobleck, was late. As such, the two young leaders had taken to talking. About classes, about teammates, and eventually, weapons. Jaune's weapon, specifically.

"I mean, it's not like there's anything wrong with it, it's a good weapon. I just think that maybe we could make it… better?" Jaune stared at her, eyebrow raised.

"Ruby, Crocea Mors has been in my family for a long time. It's not anything fancy, like your weapon, but I'm fine with that." While she appreciated the comment on her baby, she persisted.

"But Jaune, what about battle strategy? You don't have a ranged attack, which puts you at a big disadvantage."

"That's true," he said, bringing his hand to his chin. "Ok, let's say I wanted to go for it, what did you have in mind?"

"Well," Ruby said, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket, "I have some ideas." She handed the sketch over to Jaune. He studied it for a few seconds, before his eyes widened. Mouth gaping, he turned to Ruby.

"A rocket launcher?"

"Why not?"

"I didn't think it was practical to use a bomb as a shield."

She huffed.

"Ok, first, rockets are not bombs. Bombs go boom. Rockets fly and then go boom. Second, your shield could use some more versitality. Turning into a sheath is cool, but it doesn't do much else."

"What about my sword? You want to turn it into a chainsaw?"

"It'll give you more cutting power!"

"What if I hit myself with it?" Ruby just stared at him. He was slightly upset to notice it was not in the least bit incredulously.

"What?"

"You'll be fine," she declared, waving him off.

"Ok, then, how do I carry it?"

"…"

"…"

"…whoops."

Jaune groaned. Why did their conversations always end up like this? How was he supposed to keep saying no to her? And where was Professor Oobleck?

"Doctor!"

The two fearless leaders both jumped in surprise.

"Well I see you two have both been getting comfortable I just thought I'd stop by and tell you that the team leaders meeting has been canceled due to the fact that Professor Ozpin has called a surprise staff meeting the fifth one this year in fact which I really should be at right now." He said quickly, only stopping to take a sip from his ever-present mug. "Well then have a good day" He exited as he came, in a flash of speed.

"I guess we didn't need to come after all," Jaune said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"I guess not. I've got a paper to do, so see you later, Jaune." She vanished with a wave, a smile, and a blur of rose petals. Jaune wished he could move that fast. As he pushed off the desk to get up, his hands fell on the sketch that Ruby had left behind. He looked over it once more.

"Hmm, the fire arrows actually seem pretty cool."

 **END**


	4. Acceptable Targets

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Acceptable Targets_

Velvet Scarlatina sat peacefully beneath a tree on the green grounds of Beacon. Its branches were wide and covered in green leaves, offering much shade to the visitor beneath. An open book sat in her lap, _The History of Remnant by Robert Frost_. Between the pages were a pencil and a half-finished report on the Faunus Revolution. In front of her stood a young man in brown armor. Around his waist, a belt with a dove engraved on the buckle. _She must have fallen asleep while working,_ Dove thought. _Well then, time to get to work._

He knelt down and opened his bag, quietly, as to not wake her up yet. He took out a set of pencils and a pad of paper and silently went to work. The light scratching of a pencil on paper and the rustling of the wind through the leaves were the only sounds. It was quite serene. The perfect atmosphere for sketching.

Dove did not have many opportunities to draw, as his leader was very enthusiastic about their training. The rest of his team didn't always agree with Cardin's policies, but his methods were effective, crude as they were. Between classes and training, an opportunity like this, a quiet, sunny afternoon spent drawing a beautiful girl, was a godsend.

He carefully sketched out her arms and fingers, intertwined with the book, along with her long legs. He left her face blank, saving it for last. He drew her ears in long, smooth strokes.

His scroll buzzed. He grunted in surprise, and opened it. There was a notification for a new message, so he opened that as well.

CARDIN: [What's taking so long?]

He sighed, and started to pack up. As he did so, he also snatched the book between Velvet's sleeping arms and stuffed it next to his art supplies in his bag. He then stood up and walked away, texting back a reply on his scroll.

DOVE: [I got it. Heading back.]

 **END**


	5. Bullies

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Bullies_

"I'm going to break their legs."

"Coco," Velvet said in a hushed voice, "you promised you would let me handle this."

"Seriously, this has been long enough. It's been two months, and I won't wait much longer."

"Then can you at least wait until the end of the class?" Velvet pleaded. Coco glared at team CRDL from across the room. They were both sitting in on Glynda's combat class. Normally, second year students would not attend classes with first years, but Velvet had asked for special permission in this case. It was for this reason that Coco believed that Velvet had something planned.

"All right, I trust you. Just be careful, okay?"

Velvet nodded, her ears bouncing along with her head. Coco loved it when she did that. They both turned their attention back to the front of the room, where Ms. Goodwitch was reproaching Jaune. Again.

"Mr. Arc, while your tactics have certainly improved in the last few weeks, your endurance is still lacking. I would recommend some strength training as well, to increase the power of your strikes. Overall, you have much room for improvement."

"Yes, ma'am," Jaune sighed. He trudged back to sit over by his team.

"We still have time for one more match. Would Velvet Scarlatina and Cardin Winchester please come up to the front."

The room erupted into chatter. Everyone knew that Cardin and his team constantly bullied Velvet, and now she would be fighting her bully. Coco whistled.

"Clever girl."

 **LATER**

Cardin stood across from her, mace raised over his shoulder. This was perfect, his chance to embarrass her in front of the whole class. Velvet stared at him quietly, not even reaching for a weapon.

"You may begin," Glynda declared, and stepped back, ready to intervene if the situation got too dangerous.

As Cardin stepped forward and hefted his mace, he made the mistake of blinking. Had he not blinked, he would have seen the foot of a rabbit faunus flying toward his face. However, as he blinked, he was unprepared, and was sent flying across the arena, landing on his rear heavily. He groaned and peered up at the screen to check his aura. It was yellow.

Cardin Winchester may not be the strongest guy in the world, but he was a heavy hitter, priding himself on his powerful strikes. And Cardin Winchester may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he knew that when your aura is yellow, that means you've taken a lot of damage. And Cardin Winchester is certainly not the bravest guy in the world, which is why he can be excused if he happened to pass out from shock. Unlike the preposterous rumors which claimed that he was knocked out in one hit. Ridiciulous.

Dove, Sky, and Russel watched the "fight" from the stands.

"Did he…?"

"Yes."

"And she..."

"Oh, yeah."

They paused for a moment, obviously reflecting on their poor life choices, not so utterly terrified that their brains stopped functioning, like those rumors said. Ridiculous.

Dove spoke up.

"Maybe we should leave her alone."

They all looked to where their leader, the strongest of them all, was lying unconscious at Velvet's feet. She hadn't broken a sweat.

"Yeah."

"Sounds good."

 **END**

 **.**

 **.**

 **BONUS**

"Would Coco Adel and Russel Thrush please come to the front."

Russel stood across from the girl, where she stood carelessly.

"You may begin."

Russel took out his daggers, weapons infused with the mighty power of dust to give him an edge (heh) against all types of opponents. No matter what weapon she used, it would be useless against his—

Coco pressed a button, and in an instant, the stylish purse on her shoulder turned into a gatling gun.

Thousands of bullets flying toward him at high speed versus two little pieces of metal. Russel Thrush was not a _complete_ idiot.

"Uh, I surrender."

Coco flashed a smile that chilled his bones as her gatling gun started charging up.

"Not a chance."

 **NOT MUCH LATER**

"Ow, my legs!"

 **END**


	6. Petty Crimes

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Petty Crimes_

Glynda was behind her desk, finishing up a report to Ozpin, when she heard the knock on her office door.

"You may come in."

The door was opened by a monkey-tailed faunus, who now stood in the doorway.

"Mr. Wukong, please take a seat."

He sat down in the foldable black chair placed before the desk. Sun sat casually, with a light-hearted smile on his face. Glynda adjusted her glasses before starting to speak.

"Mr. Wukong, as you know, Beacon has a very thorough evaluation for its students, as well as for the students here for the tournament. I was looking through your file when I discovered some less than reputable information."

She pulled up a document on her scroll and started to read off of it. Sun kept making comments after each entry.

"Stealing from a public store…"  
"It was just a few apples."

"Assaulting an officer of the law…"

"I blame gravity."

"Stowing away on a ship…"

"Never got caught, can't press charges…"

"Impersonating a clergyman of the Church of Remnant…" Sun starting laughing.

"That was a good one," he managed to gasp out.

Goodwitch slapped the desk with her riding crop, startling Sun into jumping to his feet. He looked ready to run.

"Mr. Wukong, sit down."

After he sat down, the grin faltering a bit, Glynda continued.

"As I am sure that you know, this kind of destructive behavior will not be tolerated at Beacon, do you understand?"

There was a knock on the door, and a student wearing the beacon uniform entered. A pair of rabbit ears listened alertly on his head, and he looked like the wanted nothing more than to run out of the room. He stared at Glynda like a mouse would look at cat with very large teeth.

"Um, Ms. Goodwitch, I was told to come and tell you something I think that you should already know because there was lots of noise and water flying everywhere and I lost my lunch and now the water is dirty and the dirty water is all over the floor and walls and the in between and—"

He was interrupted by a fellow student in a rather tall top hat, who put his hand on his shoulder in support.

"Team RWBY and JNPR flooded the combat arena when they were having a water fight."

Glynda's head fell onto her desk. She groaned in frustration.

"Well then, I guess I should go. See you later." Sun calmly walked out, followed by the other two.

Glynda sat there for a moment in reflection of her life choices. Then she sighed and walked to the combat arena, already cooking up a scolding for those troublesome students.

 **END**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter is missing. Will be posted soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter is missing. Will be posted soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter is missing. Will be posted soon.


	10. Published

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Published_

"…and there were no survivors. Back to you Cyril."

The camera cut to an indoor lounge where two people sitt in chairs, facing each other. On the left is a spry man in a blue coat and white collared shirt. He is clean shaven, wearing a rehearsed smile. On the right is a portly man in a burgundy suit, a well-trimmed moustache adorning his face.

"Thank you Lisa," Cyril states. "I'm here with Professor Peter Port, teacher of Grim Studies at Beacon Academy. Now, Peter, as I understand, you have an important announcement to make, right?"

"Thank you, my dear man, indeed I do!" He booms out, perhaps a bit too loudly, as Cyril visibly flinched. "I am here today to announce that as of now, I, Peter Port, slayer of monsters and protector of the weak, am now a published author."

"I see, so you've written a book? What can you tell us about it?"

"Well, I can't divulge all the details yet, but I can tell you that this book tells a story. A story of a young, aspiring young man, who grew to become a mighty huntsman. Me!"

Cyril flinched again.

"So, this is your autobiography, then?" he asked, massaging his aching ears.

"But of course!" the portly man replied. "The book covers all of my hunts and adventures, but pays particularly close attention to my first hunt, against a rather rowdy Beowulf. After all, that is when I had the most to learn! Ha Ha!"

Cyril did not flinch this time, as he was expecting the blow. Once more, he put on his smile, though it was a bit more forced this time.

"Thank you, Professor Port. I'm sure the people of Vale will be glad to know that Peter's…er…work, _Peter and the Wolf_ , will be in stores tomorrow morning. This is Cyril, wishing you a good night."

 **END**


	11. Team Wonderland

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Team Wonderland_

Alfonse March shuffled the cards of his deck in the corner, paying close attention to one card in particular. He was practicing an old trick he had learned, where someone picks a card from your deck and puts it back without showing it. You then shuffle the deck and flick the side of it with your finger, causing the chosen card to fly out of the deck. It was a basic trick, really, but something felt off. The timing of the cards was off. As if his deck had been tampered with. Again.

"Ed, did you touch my cards?" he asked his brother.

Edward March looked up from the puzzle box he was trying to open. Al had bought it for him because he had insisted that it was a safe place to keep his scroll, and indeed it was. For when the scroll was placed inside and the lid shut, no one could figure out how to open it. Besides just breaking it, of course.

"What?" he said dumbly.

"I said, did you touch my cards?" Al asked again.

"Yesterday."

"Why?" Al growled, growing angry. He hated it when people messed up his deck. He always left it in the right order so he could know where each card was. Some would call it cheating or foul play. He preferred to call it, preparation.

"You asked me to pick a card, so I did." Al briefly recalled the trick he practiced on his brother the day before.

"That's not what I — … never mind."

As Alfonse shuffled back through the deck for the third time, the door to the dorm room burst open. The brothers both stopped and stared at the figure that appeared within the doorway; one with awe, the other with amusement. Through the opening walked a long-haired lady clad in tan armor, a pair of twin swords upon her back. Ed gained a nervous grin and greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hey, Alice!"

Light brown eyes glared at him like a hawk, causing him to flinch. Upon seeing his reaction, her gaze relaxed, and she sighed.

"For the last time. My name is Allison, not Alice, ok?"

Still smiling, Ed shouted,

"Yes, Alice!"

Allison groaned into her hand while Al just started laughing.

"So, _Alice_ ," he began earning a glare, "what do you have in store for us today?"

The girl straightened up her posture and cleared her throat before beginning.

"As your team leader, I have decided that we should all go into the Emerald Forest and train there."

"Sounds good, let's go," Al said, collecting his cards, which still felt off. Ed put down his puzzle box and reached for a rifle in the corner, slinging it on his back.

"Ready!" he yelled.

"Not so loud," said a voice in the corner.

The three turned to look at the last member of their team, who was lying in bed, one eye cracked open.

"Mell, come on, team training."

"Yeah, get up already."

"You sleep a lot."

With a groan, the black-haired boy got up. He wearily reached under his bed for his weapon and followed after the others, who were chatting away noisily.

 _Just another day for Team Wonderland._

 **END**


	12. Dream Come True

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Dream Come True_

The sunlight danced across his face as he napped beneath the large tree. Its boughs provided much obliged relief from the harsher rays of the sunny day. He seemed peaceful.

Perhaps he would have slept forever if someone had not reached over and tapped him on his cheek.

"Jaune, wake up," a far-away voice seemed to say.

He gazed above him. A beautiful girl with blazing red hair looked down at him with a gentle smile. One which was readily returned.

"Hey, Pyr," he said in a half-yawn. He stretched his arms and sat up. A quick glance around told him that nothing had changed. He was sitting beneath a large tree atop a grassy knoll. Off in the distance, across the green fields, he could see the towers of Beacon, like a castle from a fairy tale. And beside him sat his best friend, Pyrrha Nikos. Her head nestled into his shoulder while they absorbed the gorgeous scenery around them. For a while, it was peaceful.

Perhaps he would have stayed there forever, if a chill wind had not caused him to shiver. The sudden movement caused Pyrrha to move away. Jaune immediately moved to apologize, but paused when he saw the frown on her face.

"Pyrrha?"

He looked into her eyes, expecting to see sorrow, regret, grief, anything that could be dealt with. That could be overcome. Instead, he saw something which horrified him far more. Resignation.

Her lips moved to his, and tears filled his eyes. He wanted to grab her, to hold her to him, something, anything to stop her from leaving. But he didn't. He couldn't.

She was already gone.

Perhaps he would have given up, right there, if a voice had not called out to him.

"Jaune, wake up!"

He opened his eyes.

He was on the ground, in a snow-covered forest at night. Above him, the barren tree beneath which they had made camp, a chill wind rustling through leafless branches. Beside him, his friend, Ruby Rose. She was pouting.

"C'mon Jaune, wake up. You were supposed to take the next watch."

With a groan, Jaune raised himself, stretching sore limbs. The young reaper, ever observant, took note of the sour smile on her friend's face.

"Jaune? Are you ok?"

He looked into those silver eyes, and saw something that comforted him. His smile now a touch more genuine.

"I'm fine."

And with that, he stood up, to face the dark.

 **END**


	13. Let's Play

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Let's Play_

Zwei sits on the floor in team RWBY's dorm room, tongue lolling from his open mouth. In front of him is a scroll, propped up on a stand. The red light in the corner of the screen means that it is recording, while text flashes across the bottom of the screen.

[Hello, Zwei here. Welcome to my channel. I've been getting a lot of comments on my other videos asking me to do a "let's play", so here it is.]

Zwei's head tilts to the side.

[But I don't know what that means. First, let's look that up.]

Zwei gets up and waddles over to the desk by the door, still staying on camera. He nudges the chair, causing a book to fall to the floor next to him. He pokes his nose in it.

[Ok, here it is. Blah, blah, blah, lots of words… ah, here… "have fun".]

Zwei looks into the camera, and barks happily.

[Ooh, I love to have fun! I know, let's play hide and seek! I love that game. Kitty likes to play hide and seek with me all the time!]

Zwei runs offscreen.

[I'll hide, you try to find me, okay?]

After a few moments, someone picks up the device. It is placed down facing one of the bunk beds. A dresser can be seen in the corner of the screen. On top of it is an open box of cookies.

[I'm hiding here. Do you know where I am?]

There is a pause.

[If you guessed under the bed…]

A small hand reaches out and lifts up the blankets covering the bed, showing a dog-free bed.

[You were wrong! Sorry. But if you guessed in the box of cookies…]

Zwei pops his head out of the box and barks happily, panting.

[You were right! Hooray!]

"Ruby, what are you doing?" says a voice, the first time someone has said anything in the video.

A squeak is heard, like a fightened mouse or a startled fifteen year old girl. Zwei barks twice and leaps out of the box rushing offscreen.

"Oh, hey Yang. I was just playing with Zwei."

"Really? Why was your scroll recording him? Can I see?"

"No, Yang, it's not finished yet—"

"Aw, c'mon, just a peek—"

The scroll is lifted up into the air. From this angle, you can see a lovely blonde girl trying to keep it away from a smaller girl in a red hooded cape. A small dog yips playfully at their feet, running in circles.

Ruby lunges for the scroll, but only manages to knock it out of Yang's hand. It tumbles to the ground, diving gracefully into a glass of milk left carelessly on the floor.

"NO, NOT THE MILK—"

The screen goes black.

 **END**


	14. Hunter's Dream

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Hunter's Dream_

A man sits alone in a bar near the docks of Vale. A place he often frequents in when in town, the Crow Bar. In his hand is a glass of cold liquor, his fourth so far. He's not even slightly drunk.

The screen in the corner of the bar catches his eye. The image shown is of four young huntsmen-in-training, evident from their weapons. Exultant smiles tell the story of their victory. Along the bottom of the screen are the words "Team JNPR Defeats Team BRNZ!"

"Huh, those kids weren't half bad," says the bartender, as he wipes off a glass.

"Meh," grunts the stranger, raising his glass to his lips once more. As the next match is announced, he starts to get caught up in his thoughts.

 _That team would have never made it into the tournament if it wasn't for that Nikos girl. The black haired kid was fast, but had no stamina at all. A second hit from that cattle prod would have downed him. The girl in pink was strong, but telegraphed all her attacks. Against a smarter opponent she wouldn't last a minute. And that blonde kid… don't get me started on him._

He takes another sip.

 _Maybe the tournaments just aren't what they used to be. I remember, when we fought in that tournament, we had to fight tooth and nail. Bullets flying, blades clashing, blood pumping, dust doing… uh… dust things… and that was just the qualifying round! We didn't win, but we should have. We were the best team to ever graduate from Beacon. Team STRQ._

He takes another sip.

 _We were the coolest, the strongest, the best team I've ever been a part of. Though that's not what I thought when we first got together. Being on the same team as my sister and Tai really pushed my limits. Tai was always a lady's man, though he seemed to take particular interest in my sister, for some reason. And sometimes I just couldn't stand my sister. But Summer…_

He takes another sip.

 _She held us all together, our hyperactive, crazy, adorable leader._

He takes another sip.

A whistle from the bartender reminds him or where he is. He gives a quick glance to his right and sees ten empty glasses that he certainly does not remember drinking.

 _That's something I can drink to, at least._

"Now that was a match!" the bartender says. The stranger had seen enough of the match to know what to say.

"Heh," Qrow retorts, a slight slur in his words. "That was a mess."

"Come on man, you didn't like them, the Vale kids, or any of the rounds before that?" remarks the esasperated bartender. "What fight are you here for?"

The noise from an aircraft outside catches the huntsman's attention, and he grins at the sight of an elegant vessel with ribbons flying from its wings behind it.

"That one."

 **END**


	15. The Fortune Teller

**RWBY Shorts**

 _The Fortune Teller_

Two figures move silently down the streets of Vale, pace quickened. The one leading stares straight ahead unwaveringly, perhaps in a bid to avoid the scrutiny of wandering eyes. The one falling behind moves in uneven steps and constantly steals glances from around the scenery. The moon has turned to reflect its most shattered face, leaving the night world dark for most, yet these two walk without ever missing a step.

Suddenly, they pull into a dark alley. They approach a door set into the wall on the left and pause before it. The one who has led them there steps forward and knocks on the door in time with a familiar song. A older, scrawny man with half-lidded eyes opens the door. In his hand is a stump of candle lit with a lick of flame.

"Yes, who is it?" He asks sleepily.

The first figure grins and steps into the light, bringing color to his frame. He wears a fancy suit, one expected to be worn by a gentleman, or a charlatan. The more observant eye would notice tears and holes in the fabric, carefully mended by a steady hand. Of course, the first thing which would call your attention would be the large top hat which sat upon his head. The second would be the long, rope-like tail which extended from the seat of his pants.

"Is that any way to greet your best customers?"

The elder man's eyes widen in recognition, and a smile plays upon his lips.

"Ah, the March brothers! Please, please, come in," he says, opening the door wider to allow them entry. The light spilling from inside illuminated the second figure, a boy wearing a tan jacket and shorts, with shirt beneath. A pair of hare ears protruded from atop his head.

"So, any particular reason why you decided to use the back entrance? Not many customers enter through that way."

Al clamped his hand on his nervous brother's shoulder.

"It's his first time here, so I wanted to give him the full experience. He was a bit nervous at first, but after I told him you sell a particular selection of items, he was sold."

"Oh, truly?" the elder man grins.

"Uh, so, where are they?" Ed nervously says. The shop owner points to the far corner with barely contained laughter.

"The love charms are over there."

Ed gains a furious blush on his face, and dashes to the corner. Al and the shop owner are already laughing, holding onto each other for support.

"So," the man says, after they manage to contain their laughter, "What do you need?"

Al reaches into his pocket and pulls out a deck of cards, in a box marked with strange figures. He hands it to the man, who pulls out the cards and stares at them carefully.

"The cards, they don't feel right. It feels like, the timing is off. Does that make sense?"

"No, not exactly," the man says, after a time. "In fact, you're the only customer I've had who was ever unsatisfied with my goods. Well, was that one other time, but she was a long time ago."

The shop owner reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out a new box of cards, which he tosses to Al.

"Those just came in this morning. How do they feel?"

Al flips through the deck, listening carefully.

"They feel… better."

"Good. Now then," the man says with a hungry grin, "about my price."

Al puts on a grin of his own.

"I'm willing to haggle for it."

"Well, then, let's begin."

 **END**


	16. The Shirt

**RWBY Shorts**

 _The Shirt_

Edward March stood in the corner of the shop, trying desperately to disappear, like in one of his brother's tricks. The shop owner and Al were on the other side of the store, laughing up a storm at his expense.

 _Did you really have to tell him about that, Al? You know I didn't want anyone to know about it. What if she found out? What if she rejected me? What if she hated me? I don't want her to hate me, I hate being hated. What if she asked me to leave? Where would I go? I can't live on the streets, I don't speak Street. Maybe if I took a class for it? Do they teach that at Beacon? Do they have enough teachers for that? I've only seen, like, three. Where are all the teachers?_

As Ed pondered the particularly perilous problem of faulty faculty failures, he finally found the section for love charms. Bottles and amulets of various sizes lined a large bookshelf, reaching up to the ceiling. Phrases such as "To make her yours" and "Scent of roses" and "To capture her heart" were tagged to every book, bottle, and charm. As he couldn't make a decision of what would work best, he started grabbing armfuls of the stuff. Taking a step to the right to unhook a pesky charm from a loose nail, his foot knocked against something. A small box sitting in the corner, covered in dust. Curious, he set down his goods and knelt down to it.

He opened it to find many things: buttons, cards, hats, jackets, and a single shirt beneath them all. This in particular caught his attention. It depicted a tower off in the distance, with the shattered moon shining behind it. Atop the building was an enormous beast, armored in jagged bone and spreading its wings wide. A dragon, a creature spoken of only in fairy tales. Surrounding the tower were monsters of various size and shape, red eyes glowing in the night. Forefront stood a cloaked figure, back to the viewer, facing her foe, the great beast. Wielding a red scythe against the horde, unwavering, like a god of death.

 **A BIT LATER**

"A pleasure doing business with you," said the smug shopkeep. Al's tail twitched, a signaling that he was annoyed. He pointed a finger and glared at the man.

"You win this round, old man, but one day victory shall be mine!" The old man chuckled.

"One day, boy, but not yet."

Ed approached the counter with trinkets in his arms, and a shirt slung over his shoulder.

"Find anything?" Ed failed to notice the grins on their faces.

"Uh, yeah, if found this cool shirt in a box over there," he blurted distractedly.

"Ah, I remember that," said the man, in a more serious tone. "Found it on my doorstep one morning about two months ago. Someone must have forgotten it. I've never been able to sell the stupid things. You'll be taking only the shirt then?"

"Yeah, and some of this stuff—"

"And we're willing to haggle for it," interrupted Al, a glint in his eye.

 **END**


	17. Team Attacks

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Team Attacks_

"All right now that you all have partners I want to go find a comfortable spot around the room preferably not next to another pair and focus on this exercise," Prof— mean, Doctor Oobleck babbled. The team leaders who understood what he said moved off into pairs, and everyone else followed along soon after.

About a minute later, the door to the room burst open, allowing entry to a rather flustered girl in a red hood, and a very out-of-breath blonde boy in a black hoodie and jeans. If they thought they could get to their seats without a scolding, they were sorely mistaken.

"Mister Arc! Miss Rose! Would either of you care to explain why you are late?" the supervising teacher shouted.

Jaune was still panting too heavily to give a coherent response, and Ruby was just muttering under her breath with her hood down.

 **SOMEWHAT LATER**

"Ok, so you and Blake are Ladybug, Blake and Yang together are Bumblebee, and Blake and Weiss are Checkmate, and you and Weiss are White Rose."

"Yep," Ruby confirmed, taking a bite out of a cookie.

"I still liked Monochrome better."

"Jaune, the team attack names need to be about color; monochrome means a lack of color."

"Hey, not all of them are about color," Jaune retorted, reaching for a cookie from the plate between them. "Arkos isn't a name for a color, is it?"

"No, I don't think so, but it's the only name that I can think of for you two."

"If I could have your attention for just a moment please thank you," Oobleck announced from the front. "I'm noticing that many of you are finishing the first part of the exercise which means it's time to continue on to the second part I want you to work on team attacks between your two teams just like before they may be in any combination and under any name just please keep them appropriate for the classroom." He takes a sip from his mug. "Mr. Winchester, I'm watching you."

"So, uh, how do we do this?"

"Let's just start with the names, and work our way from there," Ruby suggested.

"Ok, so what are we?"

She hummed in thought as she brought another treat up to her mouth.

"How about Crescent Rose?"

"Isn't that just the name of your weapon? How do I fit into that?"

"No, see, your emblem is two crescents, and my last name is Rose. It fits!"

"No thanks. How about Rose Arc, that's our last names together."

"Still stuck on Arkos, huh?"

"What, do you not like it?"

"No, it's… good?"

"Perhaps Lancaster would be a better fit."

"Hey, that sounds pretty cool! Great idea, Jaune."

"That wasn't me."

"Indeed!" yelled Doctor Oobleck, who stood right next to them. The sudden surprise made Ruby almost choke on her cookie, and Jaune fell out of his chair. "In case you were wondering I am of course referring to the House of Lancaster part of the infamous War of the Roses which took place during a time when knights where present." He drinks from his thermos, and continues, never missing a beat. "As Mister Arc here has some resemblance of a knight in him and you Miss Rose have a red rose as your emblem which is similar to the symbol of the House of Lancaster which is a red flower."

"Uh, sure," she managed to cough out.

"Splendid! Well with that I have to say you are dismissed." Coffee sip. "Good day." The other team leaders exit nearly as quick as their teacher in a desperate bid to finish the day.

The knight gets up from his chair and notices that there is only one cookie left on the plate. The reaper notices this as well. Their eyes lock, both of them know what will happen next, there will be only one victor. And in such a battle victory lies not in strength, but in speed.

He lunges for the plate and slams his hand down as fast as he can. "Yes!" But he soon notices the plate is empty. To his horror, the girl next to him slowly raises a cookie, the last cookie, to her lips and takes a bite savoring it.

"Sorry, Jaune. You're too slow."

"Ugh," he groans, slamming his head into the desk. Ruby skips away happily, while Jaune is left feeling unsatisfied.

"Lancaster, huh…"

 **END**


	18. Beat the Heat

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Beat the Heat_

The sun shone brilliantly, the wind rustled through the leaves of the trees, and there was wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful sunny day at Beacon, and it was almost perfect, except, the sun shone a little too brightly, the wind was hot, and both of these combined with the lack of cloud cover resulted in a burning hot day. During such weather, many chose to stay indoors, such as team RWBY.

As opposed to the burning wasteland that lay just beyond their dorm door, inside was a wonderland of white fluffy snow and glistening ice. Such a feat was only possible due to the futuristic and terrifying powers of dust being used as a makeshift air conditioner. Ruby and Yang were sitting cross legged on the frozen floor, playing a video game together. Blake lying on her bed, quietly reading a book. Weiss was on the couch with her phone, with Myrtlenaster held lazily in her other hand. She would occasionally stab the blade into an enormous pillar of ice jutting from the floor beside her, sending a wave of cold energy through the column and into the floor, where it diffused into the entire room.

All in all, they were faring much better than the visiting team SSSN, who were huddled beneath a slow-moving ceiling fan. Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune were boiling in their clothes, lying on the floor, nearly passed out. The fourth member of their team, however, was standing and smiling.

"C'mon guys, what are you lying around for, it's a beautiful day outside!"

"It's 110 degrees out there."

"Aw, the heat never hurt anybody. Besides this is nothing like the desert."

"Dude, the rest of us are from Mistral. It never gets this hot there."

"Well, there was that one time—"

"We do not speak about that time."

 **ELSEWHERE**

High up on the rooftops, where the heat was at its absolute strongest, a woman with raven hair stood, basking in the harsh sunlight. The heat was comforting, a comfort she had been long denied, as she was forced to hide her mastery over fire as a part of her cover.

 _Soon_ , she thought.

 _Soon the halls of this academy will be wreathed in flame, and the streets will flood with Grimm. Soon, the tower will fall, and the power once denied me will be firmly in my grasp. And I will watch this city burn._

 _Soon, but not yet._

 _So enjoy your lives, sad, pathetic creatures that you are. Enjoy them while you still can, for night is coming, and once more, darkness will return._

 **END**


	19. Night Guards

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Night Guards_

Night has fallen on Beacon, on the night of the dance. The music starts, the lights flare up, and the guests begin to arrive. Refreshments are plentiful while the students and their teachers dance the night away. Watching all of this from a tall tower nearby are two Atlas soldiers. Their helmeted heads obscure any visible emotion, but should you look beneath the masks, you would find two grown men bored out of their minds. With nothing better to do, one of them tries to start up a conversation

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Why are we here?"

"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it," his companion states in a sage voice. "Why _are_ we here? Is it just some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a god? I don't know, man."

There is a pause as he stares at his companion in confusion.

"What? I meant why are we up here, in this tower?

"Oh, ok… Wait, you don't know what this is?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, ok, you remember Atlas Tower?"

"Yeah, back in Atlas, right? The same tower that gives us internet, right?"

"Yes. And this is Beacon Tower. Which means…"

"They stole our idea!"

"No, you idiot, it means every kingdom has one."

"Oh. So, why do we need to guard theirs? We already have one, so…"

"Because if one of the towers goes down, all of them go offline."

"Well, that's a stupid design."

"What?"  
"I mean, what if one of the kingdoms was attacked, and the tower went offline? No one outside that kingdom would know what happened."

"I'm pretty sure if one of the towers just shut down with no warning, it would be pretty obvious they were attacked."

"Yeah, but would we know who did it? They really need someone like me to think through their security."

"Yeah, aren't you a genius." He goes over to the elevator and pushes the button.

"Thank you."  
"Hey, why don't we go down to the general right now, and tell him your idea?" his companion says, stepping through the now-open doors.

"Uh, sure. Why not?" he says nervously. As they head down, he speaks up again. "Hey, man, do you know the Wi-Fi password?"  
"It's Beacon, but replace the E with a 3, and add a pound symbol to the end."

As he is about to thank his companion, the doors open. The soldier sees his comrades lying on the ground, knocked out, possibly worse. In front of him is a woman dressed as a cat burglar. They both stiffen, preparing for a fight, but the woman remains relaxed and calm. She saunters into the elevator and takes her stand between the two of them as the doors close.

 **END**


	20. Class Dismissed

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Class Dismissed_

The sun shone brightly, the wind rustled through the trees, and, unlike a few days ago, the temperature was a nice, cool 70 degrees. A perfect day to be outside on the Beacon academy campus, or wandering through the streets of Vale. Which is why team RWBY was quite vexed that on such a beautiful day, they were still suffering through Professor Port's Grim Studies Class. Not to say that they disliked him; he was actually very knowledgeable about the subject of Grim, and divulged many nuggets of information. Unfortunately, they were often hidden within his long spiels about his numerous improbable exploits. He was currently off on some inane story about using a sword he crafted out of diamonds to slay a horde of monsters, some of which tended to explode. Not that anyone was paying attention.

Team RWBY sat together, like always, are were a bit bored, like always. Blake held up a book she had acquired from the school library, having read through her own impressive collection within the first two weeks. Weiss sat filing her nails, and Yang rested her head of flowing golden locks on her hand, a bored expression on her face. Her sister, the prodigy of Beacon, was doodling on a pad of paper, sketching out a somewhat unflattering image of "Professor Portly".

Looking to her left, the young reaper couldn't help but notice that team JNPR was not doing much better. Nora was already snoring, head resting on the desk. Ren was writing something down in his notebook. Pyrrha was staring at Jaune for some reason, while trying and failing to make it subtle. She did that a lot. Jaune was just starting to fall asleep, yawns escaping his mouth every minute or so. Thankfully, it looked like the professor was just finishing up.

"And so, the villagers thanked me for defeating the horde, and I returned home, my head held high, praised a hero!" He took a bow, but there was no applause. "Well, I believe I've kept you long enough…"

All of the students were suddenly paying close attention. Did this mean…?

"…and so you are all excused…"

Everyone was one the edge of their seats, even those who were asleep. Could it be true?

"…in a few more minutes. First, I would like to recommend any true huntsmen and huntresses among you to purchase my recently published book."

It was a lie! Heads slammed into desks in thunderous frustration. Others drifted off into sleep.

"Yes, a truly marvelous tale, for all who read it as well. A story that grips your heart and doesn't let go until the—"

 **END**


	21. Book Trade

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Book Trade_

The hour is late as the door swings open, announcing the entry of a customer into the shop. Even from the back room, he could hear it happen. He continued to sort the books, not disturbed in the least by the distraction. It happened all the time. People came in, look around, and left without buying anything. Maybe "every book under the sun" just wasn't enough for them. He went back to arranging the donated books into piles, noting what quite a few were in terrible shape. After a few more minutes of silently sorting sandy and sooty books, the service bell rang.

"Be right there!" he called out. Lifting a stack of books in his arms, he pushed through the door leading back into the shop, coming out behind the counter. He set down the pile and turned his attention to the shop. In front of him is a girl adorned in monochromatic attire, with a black bow atop her head. Golden eyes stared at him from beneath raven locks.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade," he says, beginning his usual greeting, "home to every book under the sun. How may I help you?"

"I was wondering," she started in a low voice, "do you have any copies of _The Cat in Plain Sight_?"

"Yes, we do. They should be over there," he recalled, pointing to the wall to his right. The girl thanked him and stepped over to inspect the books. Tukson, for his part, went back to his work, watching her from the corner of his eye. _She looks familiar_ , he mused. _Where have I seen her before? Is she that real estate lady?_ He gazed at her backside. _No, she was older. The waiter at that restaurant?_ He glanced at her hair. _No, her hair was longer. Maybe… was she at one of the White Fang meetings?_ He looked fixedly at her black bow, brow furrowed. After a moment of contemplation, he had his answer. _Nah, what am I thinking? Why would a human be amongst the likes of the White Fang?_

Eventually, the girl sauntered up to the counter and purchased a generous amount of books. As he was bagging her purchase, he decided to finally satiate his curiosity.

"Hey, have we met before?" he began, catching her attention. He remained focused on his task, not noticing how she glared at him. "You look familiar; I could've sworn I've seen you before." Her golden orbs studied him, and she paused for a second before answering.

"No, I'm afraid not."

Had Tukson been watching her, specifically, had he been watching her bow, he would have seen the slightest twitch as she said this. But alas, he was not.

"I see. Sorry about that," he stated, handing her the weighty tomes. "Have a good night."

She strode toward the exit and left, leaving the two of them none the wiser about each other.

 **END**


	22. Peace and Quiet

**RWBY Shorts**

 _Peace and Quiet_

He took a deep breath. _In… and out._ Again. _In…and out. Keep your eyes closed._ He sat cross-legged on the green turf, hands resting on his knees. _Empty your mind. Release any lingering thoughts._ His hands dropped to the ground, each gripping a tuft of grass. _Focus on your surroundings. Feel the grass, the roots, the soil. Let it sift through your fingers. Smell the clean air._ He gripped the grass tighter, nearly tearing the roots. _In… and out. In… and out._ He began to softly radiate magenta light, building the power within him. _Hold the Aura, let it grow… and… release._ He relaxed his hold, allowing the light to spread out in a pulsing wave.

This was a technique Ren had been practicing for some weeks now. While training one's perception would allow them to more easily discover hidden threats, this procedure would release a pulse of pure Aura into the vicinity. The released energy would bounce off of any .incompatible Aura source, such as an enemy soldier, and return to the Huntsman or Huntress who released the pulse, alerting them of the distance and direction of their foe. It was not a skill that was often practiced, as it had no practical application on Grimm, monsters which had no souls, and thus, no Aura.

Still, he felt it was good to be prepared. This was the same reason why he made sure to routinely maintain Stormflower, his weapon. At least, when he had a quiet moment. And when your partner is Nora Valkrie, it is not often that you find a peaceful moment. Speaking of which…

"REN!" exclaimed the bubbly girl who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Most people would have been startled at least, but Ren simply opened his eyes and greeted her calmly.

"Hey, Nora," he murmured. He stood up and stretched as his partner started talking a mile a minute.

 _Some peace and quiet is nice, but it feels good to stick to routine._

 **END**


End file.
